An ability that could make objects float… that could only be a Reincarnator’s power, right? How could an ordinary person manage that so easily?
But wasn’t it said that she was the only Reincarnator left?
As Ruri was still a bit stunned, Shirayuki-senpai and Yuzuki were already running towards that classroom.
Seeming to notice Ruri wasn’t following, Yuzuki looked back and called out softly, “Ruri-san, hurry up!”
Ruri snapped back to her senses.
‘It can’t be a Reincarnator. It must be some kind of burglar who snuck into the classroom. The desks and chairs might look like they’re floating, but maybe they’re just being lifted or hung from ropes? Though I don’t know the purpose of such an act…’
Ruri still refused to believe there were other Reincarnators besides herself. The feeling from her past life couldn’t be wrong; the Reincarnation Space was surely in a state of collapse by now.
She chased after Shirayuki-senpai and Yuzuki.
The three of them soon approached the second-floor classroom. They slowed their steps and gently crept closer. Out in the hallway, they could even hear the sound of wind blowing inside the classroom, which was particularly strange.
“Could there really be a ghost or something?” Yuzuki asked, looking a bit scared.
“If it’s a ghost, will it say hello to us?” Shirayuki’s face was also somewhat pale now.
“Shirayuki-senpai, don’t joke around,” Yuzuki said, shrinking her neck back.
Seeing the two looking so frightened, Ruri curled her lip with utter disdain. Why come at all if they were so scared?
Just then, the sound of wind inside the classroom ceased, and everything went quiet.
Noticing the change, Shirayuki rushed forward. The classroom door was closed, but the glass window next to it was transparent. She pressed against the glass and looked inside.
The classroom was empty. The desks and chairs were there, though not neatly arranged. There was no one inside.
“So it is a ghost?” Shirayuki said, gulping.
Ruri, however, looked towards the windows on the other side of the classroom. Those windows were open now. The night breeze flowed in, making the curtains flutter from time to time.
Normally, after school ends, the classroom’s doors and windows should all be closed. And when looking at this classroom from their earlier stakeout spot, Ruri remembered those windows being closed too.
‘So there was someone here after all? They just jumped directly from the second floor and ran?’
Ruri thought to herself.
At this moment, Shirayuki-senpai and Yuzuki also noticed the open windows. The two of them discussed this matter and also asked for Ruri’s opinion.
Ruri said expressionlessly, “Probably a thief climbed in, tried to steal something, found nothing worth stealing, saw us coming, and jumped out the window to escape.”
“Even though this is the second floor, jumping out would still hurt someone, wouldn’t it?” Shirayuki didn’t agree with this view. “I think there really is a ghost haunting this place. I wonder what the ghost looks like? I’m curious!”
Seeing Shirayuki-senpai’s sparkling purple eyes, Ruri sighed and said nothing more.
“Let’s go check the other side downstairs,” Yuzuki suggested.
No one had any objections to this.
They made a loop around to the other side of the teaching building. Looking up, they could see the open window of the second-floor classroom. This spot below used to be a planted area, the soil fairly soft. Yet, there were no footprints present.
This situation made Ruri puzzled. If a normal person jumped down, wouldn’t there be footprints?
“No footprints. Tsukiyomi-san’s theory was indeed incorrect. So, it can only be a ghost,” Shirayuki said excitedly.
“The ghost won’t hurt us, will it? Should we leave?” Yuzuki asked fearfully, her earlier energetic daytime demeanor completely gone.
“This…” Shirayuki also hesitated upon hearing that.
Although she was very curious about ghosts, if that curiosity implicated Yuzuki or Ruri, that was something she wasn’t willing to see.
Thinking this, Shirayuki said, “Then let’s leave first. We didn’t see the ghost directly this time anyway. The ghost probably won’t appear before us. We can sneak back next time. We won’t speak then, so we won’t alert the ghost, and then we’ll catch it red-handed!”
There’s going to be a next time?
Ruri wasn’t very enthusiastic about that.
But in any case, it seemed she was free for tonight. The three girls ran out of the school.
After leaving, since their routes home were different, they quickly parted ways.
Once out of sight of Shirayuki-senpai and Yuzuki, Ruri glanced around, then suddenly picked up speed, flitting through a small alley. She leaped lightly onto the roof of a nearby house and gazed towards the position of Aragaki Girls’ High School.
The matter of someone jumping from the second floor onto the soft soil of the planted area without leaving footprints still bothered her. She wanted to figure out exactly what was going on.
‘Hm? What’s that?’
Ruri’s gaze sharpened. She spotted a figure inside the school grounds leap high, clearing the tall wall in a single bound to leave the school.
‘So that person hadn’t left the school before; they’re only leaving now? So, are you a Reincarnator or not?’
Ruri immediately followed.
Although she now only had energy remaining, circulating it could still greatly enhance her physical abilities, allowing her to leap across rooftops like a superhuman.
It wasn’t long before Ruri closed in on her target and got a clear look at them.
‘Someone from our school?’
Ruri saw the familiar uniform on the other person—a pink-and-white checkered skirt fluttering in the wind. Below it, a pair of pale legs ran unceasingly.
Leaping up high, Ruri looked down and took in the person’s appearance.
It was a girl with long, straight black hair. Her eyes were like black gemstones. Her features were quite pleasing, her smooth face without a single blemish.
‘A Reincarnator?’
The thought that there might be other Reincarnators made even Ruri’s breathing quicken. She promptly plucked a leaf from a roadside tree, flashed over to appear behind the other person, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out, pressing the leaf against their neck.
“Don’t move,” Ruri said in a lowered voice, making it impossible to recognize her original voice.
The sudden change made Inoue Keiko’s expression shift drastically. She hadn’t clearly heard what the other person said and instinctively turned around.
In response, Ruri agilely stepped, continuing to circle behind Keiko. No matter how many times Keiko turned, Ruri always maintained her position behind her, ensuring Keiko couldn’t see her at all.
“I told you not to move, and you still move. Have you lost all attachment to this world?” Ruri said in a deep voice, pressing the leaf even closer to Keiko’s neck.
